OUR DEFENCES AND DEFENDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10126, 8 May 1896, Page 3

OUR DEFENCES AND DEFENDERS.

TO THE EDITOR, Siu,— a recent issue you report an intetview with Colonel Shepherd on the subject of defence. In that report you say that " the lethargy of the past must be discarded."

Ten or twelve years ago we had . Governor whose special mission it was supposed to be to see that the defences of the colony were sufficient and complete. Large sums of money wore spent, partly under the influence of what Colonel Shepherd calls" the Russian scare," and, when Sir W. Jervois' term came to an end, we were assured in the strongest terms that the colony was «.afe. In a year or two it was discovered by military experts that the forts were useless, the guns obsolete, the men incapable ot working them, and the colony absolutely at the mercy of the Flying Dutchman, or auy stray rover on the lookout for loot.

From that time to this military men, hungering for place and payment, the latter, according to Colonel Shepherd, being the chief requisite, have been constantly repeating the same cry. Every quarrel between Powers, great or small, has been made the occasion and excuse for proposing some new schema which will lay heavy burdens upou the taxpayers, always with the assurance that this scheme would be the final aud satisfactory solution of the difficult problem of defence. A te>v weeks ago Colonel Goring was telling the world how much safer we should all feel if a certain school had a large cadet corp3. Soon after our safety was to depend 011 tomfoolery like the Easter mauotuvi'cs, the picnic at which the gallant attackers, starting from Howick after nine iu the morning, inarched with pipes iu their mouth to IVmaki Bridge, fired a volley or two, and then sat down and grumbled at the fare provided for their breakfast. In suoh fashion Colonel Goring hoped that we should all sorm be obliged to learn to defend our country. Now, Colonel Shepherd has another nostrum, involving as alt these schemes do, though put even more plainly than usual, the demand to pay, pay. A few days ago an old book reached me from England, wrapped up in some old newspapers of the 1847. One of these contains extracts from a letter of the Duke of Wellington, in which the great commander dilates on the defeuoeless state of England ami the ease with which it could be iuvaded and overrun. He had plana tor defence, which three successive Governments refused to adopt. He said: "I am now bordering on 77 years of age, passed in honour. I hope the Almighty may protect me from being a witness of the tragedy I cannot persiw.de my contemporaries to avert." All but 50 years have passed since that letter was written, and the dreaded

tragedy lifts never come. 'Ihis Dew country might take warning from the mistakes of the fatherland, anil refrain from putting a burdeu of militarism on the necks of the people, such as older countries have found to be botn useless and ruinous. No enemy is likely to invade us, and were one mad enough to come, neither Colonel Goring's military drill in schools and Easter picnics, nor Colonel Shepherd's wellpaid voiunteers, would do much to prevent him. if we refrain from acting unjustly towards Chinese, Austrians, and consumptives—if we treat others as we would be treated ourselves, we shall have an infinitely surer defence than is afforded by torpedo boats or big cannon, even with well paid men to manage them.— am, etc , May '1, 1896. W. Steadman Aldis.